Better email messages Part 3: How to write useful email subject lines

Edited 9.8.07 - updated these links
Part 1: Rule of One
Part 2: One-word subject not enough

A while back usability guru Jakob Nielsen published an article titled: "Microcontent: How to Write Headlines, Page Titles, and Subject Lines."
It's an excellent article, useful and a quick read.

Here are some key points in brief:

• Clearly explain what the article (or email) is about in terms that relate to the user... an ultra-short abstract of its associated macrocontent...


• No puns, no "cute" or "clever" headlines...


• No teasers that try to entice people to click to find out what the story is about. [Works in print, but not online.]


• Skip leading articles like "the" and "a" in email subjects and page titles...


• Make the first word an important, information-carrying on
  

Read the entire article online here.